


^' «<» 



^o 



^ ,0 d- 



/ 

^^. 



^'T 









^0' 



5 o^ 



,r 



















' A. < J» « 



->'■ 

■^ 



qV . £ « , 



<0 



^ 

^ 



(V ^ o ' * 









o • 






^ ^....v .5:'^: 






0: <6^^ r^--^ 






aO' 



*" o « 






^^.^^"^ y^ 






: '^vr^V 



v^ 






< » 















'Ad^ 



.7: ^H q. 









, T •o. 



''^ 



■.* 



^ ' »'f-.^'*. -^i 



V » * • «* 












> • s 



1^ .» 



' ' • * "-C< 



J'^jyT'Ti^ 









.^ 



o • « 






V 









• ' .^* 









"^^0^ 









Xp9^ ^^^^ ^a>9^ 



■* e 












> 



A SKETC 



OF TFIE 



LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES 



OP 



GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 



OF OHIO. 




St. HoutB : 

CHURCHILL & HARRLS, PRINTERS. 
1840. 



V. / 



A' 



cT/f-^ 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



When a man has heen selected from among; the people, as a 
suitable candidate for any important office in their gift, it is no 
more than common justice to all parties, that his fellow citizens 
should be supplied with some authentic information respectino- 
his past life. It is right and proper that they should know what 
services he has rendered to his country, what public stations he 
has held, and with what fidelity and uprightness he has discharg- 
ed the duties of those offices, with which he has been intrusted 

that, furnished with this information, they may be enabled to 
form a fair estimate of his abilities, and of his usefulness and in- 
tegrity in his future career. At the present time, no one before 
the public occupies more general attention than William H. Har- 
rison. We therefore think it an acceptable service to those who 
are not familiar with the life of this distinguished man, to place 
before them the following brief sketch of his biography and pub- 
lic services. We offer them an honest outline of plain facts^ 
gathered from the most authentic sources. Should any of our 
readers desire more particular information, or wish for detailed 
evidence of the historic truth of this outline, we refer them to 
our public documents connected with the events here recorded, 
to Butler's History of Kentucky, and M'Affee's History of the 
Late War, and to the excellent biographical works of Dawson 
and Judge Hall — from which sources this sketch has been prin- 
cipally drawn. 

William Henry Harrison was born in Virginia, on the 9th of 
February, 1773, His father, Benjamin Harrison, was one of the 
patriots of the Revolution. He was a very distinguished member 
of the first congress of the United States, which met at Philadel- 
phia in 1774, and was one of the most conspicuous of the signers 
of the Declaration of Independence. He afterwards rendered 



battle of the Miami, in which the confederated Indians, with 
their allies, were totally defeated. Their heavy losses in this 
battle so disheartened the Indians, that, a few months after, they 
entered into negotiations for a treaty of peace, giving hostages 
for their good faith — and thus, with the close of this war, were 
extinguished what may be considered the last embers of our rev- 
olutionary struggle. In his despatch to the Secretary of War, 
after this decisive victory, General Wayne, in mentioning those 
whose good conduct made them conspicuous on this occasion, 
says — "My faithful and gallant aids-de-camp. Captains De Butts 
and T. Lewis, and liieutenant Harrison, w^ith the Adjutant-gen- 
eral, Major Mills, rendered the most essential service, by commu- 
nicating my orders in every direction, and by their conduct and 
bravery exciting the troops to press for victory." 

Soon after this battle, Lieutenant Harrison received the com- 
mission of a captain, and was placed in command of Fort Wash- 
ington, the most important station on the western frontier. He 
remained in the army till the close of the year 1797, when, as there 
was no longer an opportunity to serve his country in the field, 
he resiofned his commission to commence his career of civil ser- 
vices. He was almost immediately appointed secretary, and ex- 
officio, lieutenant-governor of the North-western territory ; which 
then embraced the whole extent of our country lying norh-west 
of the Ohio river — thus receiving his first civil appointment in 
that part of our country which he had perilled his life to defend. 
While in this station, he entered so warmly into tlie interests 
of the people, and his intelligence and the kindness and urbanity 
of liis manners rendered him so popular, that when, in the fol- 
lowino- year, they became entitled to representation in the councils 
of the nation, they almost unanimously elected him their first 
delegate to Congress. Mr. Harrison was, at this time, about twen- 
ty-six years of age. 

He took his seat in the House of Representatives, at the first 
session of the sixth Congress, in December, 1799. There were 
then in Congress some of the ablest and most enlightened states- 
men, and some of the most eloquent men, our country has ever 
produced. Yet in this severe ordeal, the abilities and manly 
energies of Mr. Harrison soon commanded universal respect. At 
this period, the all-engrossing subject in the West, and one in 



which our whole country had a deep interest, was the sale of our 
public lands. The manner in which these lands had been hith- 
erto disposed of, had created great dissatisfaction among the people. 
They had been sold only in large tracts ; the smallest of which 
included at least four thousand acres. Our hardy yeomanry, with 
limited pecuniary means, were thus shut out from all chance of 
competition with wealthy speculators and grasping monopolists, 
in the purchase of these lands — the poorer emigrants were be- 
coming disheartened at the chilling prospects before them, and 
the settlement of the new country was greatly retarded. Fully 
aware of the impolicy and injustice of this state of things, and 
true to the trust confided in him, Mr. Harrison's earliest legisla- 
tive efforts were made to overthrow this pernicious system. He 
aroused the attention of Congress to the consideration of this 
important subject, and evinced so intimate an acquaintance with 
the facts and business details connected with it, that he was ap- 
pointed chairman of a committee raised to examine into and re- 
port on the existing mode of disposing of the public lands. After 
a proper investigation, he presented a report, accompanied by a 
bill, the principal object of which was to reduce the size of the 
tracts of public land oftered for sale, to such a smaller number of 
acres as would place them within the reach of actual settlers. 
This masterly report, which was the joint production of himself 
and Mr. Gallatin, together with the great ability and eloquence 
with which he defended his bill from the powerful opposition it 
encountered in the House, gained Mr. Harrison a reputation 
rarely attained by so young a statesman. The bill was carried 
triumphantly in the House, and finally, after some amendments, 
passed the Senate. The result was, that the public lands, instead 
of being offered only in large tracts, of which four thousand acres 
was the smallest size, were now to be sold in alternate sections 
and half sections — the former containing 640, and the latter 320 
acres each. The point gained was of immense importance, since, 
from the low price of these lands, and the small amount of pur- 
chase money required to be paid, they were now within the reach 
of nearly all the poorer emigrants and actual settlers, who felt a 
natural desire to own the fee simple of their homes, and of the lands 
they subdued from the wilderness. Thousands of the hardy 
and industrious farmers of our Northern and Middle States, and 



8 

many of the poorer planters of the South, availed themselves of 
the fair field which was now opened for emigration and enter- 
prise ; and we may justly consider this happy result, which Mr. 
Harrison was so instrumental in producing, as one of the leading 
causes of the rapid settlement and prosperity of our Y/estern 
country. 

In the year ISOO, the North-western territory was divided. 
That part of the old territory, included within the present boun- 
daries of Ohio and Micliigan, retained its former name ; and the 
immense extent of country, north-west of this, was made a sepa- 
rate territory, and received the name of Indiana. Soon after this 
division had taken place, Mr. Harrison resigned his seat in Con- 
gress, and was appointed governor of the new territoiy. This 
appointment gave great satisfaction to the people of Indiana, 
with whom the patriotic exertions of Mr. Harrison had rendered 
him deservedly popular ; and it was, at the same time, the strong- 
est evidence of the confidence with which the General Govern- 
ment relied upon his integrity, prudence, and capacity for civil 
government. 

The extent of Indiana was almost boundless. The small 
population it then contained was thinly scattered through a vast 
wilderness, and only three settlements of any note existed within 
its territory. One of these was at Vincennes, the capital ; another 
at the Falls of the Ohio, one hundred miles distant from Yincen- 
nes ; and the third was on the Mississippi, at a distance of more 
than two hundred miles from the capital. The communication 
between these remote points was, at all times, difficult and toil- 
some, and often attended with great danger. There existed no 
practicable roads, and nearly all the intermediate country was oc- 
cupied by the Indians, or overrun by their hunting parties. Most 
of those savage tribes, though professing to be friendly, were rest- 
less and dissatisfied ; and their leading chiefs still nursed a moody 
hope of revenge for the mortifying defeat they had sustained, six 
years before, at the battle of the Miami. Artful and treacherous, 
numerous, warlike, and thirsting for plunder, they kept this re- 
mote frontier in continual excitement and alarm. The angry 
feelings of our hardy borderers were frequently aroused by some 
robbery or atrocious violence committed by the more evil-disposed 
amono- their savage neighbors, and quarrels often ensued, which 
threatened the peace of the whole community. 



Such was the existing state of things in Indiana Territory, 
when Mr. Harrison was appointed to the administration ot its 
government. As governor of a frontier territory so pecuHarly 
situated, Mr. Harrison was invested with civil powers of the most 
important nature, as well as with military authority. Besides the 
ordinary powers which he held, ex officio^ as governor, he had the 
sole power of dividing the district into counties and townships, 
and was appointed the general superintendent of Indian affairs. 
He had likewise the unusual power of conferring on a numerous 
class of individuals a leQ-al title to larofe grants of land, on which 
they before held merely an equitable claim. His sole signature 
was sufficient, without any other formality, to give a valid title to 
these extensive and valuable tracts of land. Possessed of this 
immense power, opportunities were continually before him of ac- 
cumulating a princely fortune ; but the scrupulous sense of ho- 
nor which has always characterized Mr. Harrison, would never 
permit him to speculate in lands over which he had any control. 
And it is a fact worthy of note, that during the whole time that he 
held this important trust, he never availed himself of his pecu- 
liar advantages to acquire a single acre of land ; — no shadow of 
suspicion ever doubted his disinterestedness, and not a murmur 
ever accused him of partiality, or even of unnecessary delay, in 
the performance of this delicate duty. We mention this only to 
show, that the integrity of Mr. Harrison is not merely theoretical 
but practical ; and that it has always shone with the purest lustre 
when assailed by the strongest temptations. 

In 1803, Mr. Jefferson appointed Governor Harrison sole 
"commissioner to enter into any treaties which may be necessary, 
with any Indian tribes, north-west of the Ohio, and witlnn the 
territory of the United States, on the subject of their boundaries 
or lands." By virtue of this, or a similar authority, during the 
subsequent course of his administration, Harrison eflected thir- 
teen important treaties wiih the different tribes, on the most ad- 
vantageous terms ; andobtained from them, at various times, the 
cession of large tracts of land, amounting, in all, to more than 
sixty millions of acres, and embracing a large portion of the rich- 
est region in our country. 

In their frequent intercourse with Governor Harrison, the In- 
dians had learned to respect his undaunted fiminess, and were, at 

2 



10 

the same time, conciliated by his kindness of manner and con- 
siderate forbearance. This, with his intimate knowledge of the 
Indian character, is the true secret of the remarkable success 
that has uniformly attended every treaty he has attempted to effect. 
The I'arious and arduous duties of the sfovernor of Indiana, 
required, for this offico, a man of very superior abilities — one pos- 
sessed of stern integrity and prudent moderation, accompanied 
by the most unwavering firmness. Such a man Governor Har- 
rison, in the long course of his administration, fully proved him- 
self to be. The plainest evidence of this, to those who are not 
familiar with tiie history of Indiana during this period, is the fact, 
that, for thirteen years, at every successive expiration of his term 
of office, he was re-appointed, at the earnest solicitation of the 
people of the territory, and with the public expressio n ofthe 
most flattering approbation on the part of our chief executive. 
And this too, notwithstanding the entire change which had taken 
place within that time in the ruling politics of the country — his 
first appointment having been made by Mr, Adams, his second 
and third by Mr. Jefferson, and his fourth by Mr. Madison, The 
following extract from the resolution unanimously passed by the 
House of Representatives of Indiana, in the year 1809, requesting 
the re-appointment of Governor Harrison, will show the estimate 
which a long acquaintance had taught them of his worth : — 
"They (the House of Representatives) cannot forbear recommend- 
ing to, and requesting of the President and Senate, most earnestly 
in their own names, and in the names of their constituents, the re- 
appointment of their present governor, William Henry Harrison — 
because he possesses the good wishes and affection of a great 
majority of his fellow citizens; — because they believe him sin- 
cerely attached to the Union, the prosperity of the United States, 
and the administration of its government ; — because they believe 
him in a superior degree capable of promoting the interest of our 
territory, from long experience and laborious attention to its con- 
cerns, from his influence over the Indians, and wise and disinter- 
ested management of that department; and because they have 
confidence in his virtues, talents and republicanism." 

If necessxry, we m'g'it fill a goodly volnme with extracts from 
public documents of a similar nature ; but what stronger proof 
than this could we have of the popularity of Governor Harrison, 



11 

and ot the entire confidence with which the people relied on his 
integrity and ability as a statesman? 

In the year 1805, the celebrated Indian chief, Tecumthe. and 
his notorious brother, the Shawanese prophet, 01-li-wa-chi-ca, 
(sometimes called Els-kvva-taw-a,) began to create disturbances 
on the frontiers of Indiana. Tecumthe was a bold and daring 
warrior ; sagacious in council and formidable in battle. The 
prophet was a shrewd impostor: cunning, artful, and treacher- 
ous ; — and they were leagued together by the tie of mutual inte- 
rests, and a common hatred to the whites. Tise object of these 
crafty intriguers was to form, by their own influence and the aid 
of foreign emissaries, a combination amorg all the ncrt! -.vest- 
ern tribes of Indians — with the hope, that by a simultaneous at- 
tack, they might destroy all the whites, or force them from the 
Valley of the Mississippi. But their designs were soon known to 
Governor Harrison, and, aware of his dangerous situation, his 
prudence and wise policy enabled him for several years to hold 
his savage neighbors in ciieck. The following extracts from a 
speech, which he delivered to the legislature of Indiana, in 1S09, 
will serve to show that he fully understood the nature and cause 
of the excitement then existing among the Indians — '-Presenting, 
as we do,"' said Governor Harrison, "a very extended frontier to 
numerous and warlike tribes of the aborigines, the state of our 
relations with them must always form an important and interest- 
ing feature in our local politics. It is with regret that I hav^e to 
inform you, that the harmony and good understanding which it is 
so much our interest to cultivate with those, our neighbors, have, 
for some time past, experienced a considerable interruption, and 
that we have indeed been threatened with hostilities, by a combi- 
nation formed under the auspices of a bold adventurer, who pre- 
tended to act under the immediate inspiration of the Dei y. His 
character as a prophet would not, however, have given him ai y 
very dangerous influence, if he had not been assisted by the in- 
trigues and advice of foreign agents, and other disaffected per- 
sons, who have for years omitted no opoortunity of counteracting 
the measures of the government with regard to the Indians, and 
filling their naturally jealous minds with suspicions of the justice 
and integrity of our views towards them."' 

Two years subsequent to this, in 1811, from petty aggressions 



12 

the Indians proceeded to more open violence, and acts of decided 
hostility. The war whoop was again heard yelhng within the 
h'mits of the territory, and every day brought fresli accounts of 
the perpetration of those atrocious deeds of depredation and mur- 
der, which always give the first intimation of a savage war. 
From motives of humanity as well as policy, Governor Harrison 
had always endeavored to avoid a war with the Indians; but 
when this result became unavoidable, he promptly adopted the 
most energetic measures within his limited resources, to place the 
territory in a posture of defence. At his own earnest request, and 
at the solicitation of the people, the President, soon after, directed 
him to march with an armed force towards the principal place of 
rendezvous of the hostile Indians, the prophet's town, on the 
VVabash, near the mouth of the Tippecanoe — where this crafty 
impostor had assembled a body of more than a thousand fierce 
warriors, ready to obey his will. 

Governor Harrison immediately a. .Lled five hundred of the 
militia and vohmteers of Indiana. These, with a regiment of 
United States infantry, consisting of three hundred and fifty men, 
commanded by Colonel Boyd, and a small body of volunteers 
from Kentucky, constituted his whole available force — amount- 
ing in all to about nine hundred effective men. As soon as he 
had disciplined these troops, and trained both the regulars and 
militia in the Indian mode of warfare, he took up his line of 
march towards the Prophet's town. 

He left Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, about sixty miles above 
Yincennes, on the 2Sth of October, 1811. Profiting by his 
own early experience, and the remembered example of his old 
friend and commander, General Wayne, his march through a 
wild country to Tippecanoe, was conducted with so much pru- 
dence, that he avoided all danger of ambuscade or surprise from 
the savage foe. On the Cth of November the army arrived within 
five or six miles of the Prophet's town. According to the in- 
structions he had received from the President, Governor Harrison 
immediately sent in a flag of truce, to endeavor to open an ami. 
cable negotiation with the hostile Indians. To this overture the 
prophet returned a deceitful reply — he professed the most pacific 
intentions, and agreed to meet Harrison the next day m council, 
with his chiefs, to settle definitely the terms of peace. But Har- 



13 

rison knew too well the treachery of his artful antagonist, to allow 
himself to be deceived by his specious professions, or lulled into 
any fancied security. He carefully selected the most eligible and 
defensible position for his encampment, and ordered his troops to 
lie upon their arms all night, that they might be in readiness, at 
a moment's warning, to repel any sudden attack of the enemy. 
The sequel proved that these precautions were wisely adopted. 

An anxious night passed away without intermption ; but about 
four o'clock, on the following morning, two hours before day- 
light, a sentinel at one of the outposts discovered an Indian 
creeping stealthily towards the camp. He immediately gave the 
alarm, and almost at the same instant, a strong body of the enemy 
rushed towards the encampment, with the most savage yells. — 
They made a furious charge on the left of the camp ; and so sud- 
den and desperate was their onset, that the guard stationed in that 
quarter gave way, at first, to their fierce assailants. But these 
brave troops soon rallied, and retrieved the ground they had lost. 
The camp fires were extmguished with all possible haste, and the 
battle was now waged on more equal terms. Our gallant troops 
fought with the most daring intrepidity, and their savage foes 
evinced a desperate valor worthy of a better cause. The battle 
raged with great fury till the da^^^l of day, when a simultaneous 
charge was made upon the enemy, on either flank, and they were 
speedily put to flight, with great loss, and the battle terminated. 
During all this time, the false Prophet had been seated at a safe 
distance from the field of battle, chanting a war-song, and prom- 
ising victory to his deluded brethren. 

The battle of Tippecanoe was one of the most spirited and 
best fought actions recorded in the annals of our Indian wars. 
The numbers and the weapons on either side were nearly equal ; 
and the Indians, contrar\^ to their usual custom, fought hand to 
hand, and with the fiercest bravery. Every man in this battle 
encountered his share of danger, but no man was in more per- 
sonal peril than Governor Harrison himself — well known to many 
of the Indians, and the object of their peculiar attack — his fear- 
less and unshrinking exposure, makes it seem almost a miracle 
that he should have escaped unwounded. In referring to the 
coolness and intrepidity of Governor Harrison, on this occasion, 
we cannot refrain from making the following extracts from a jour- 



14 

tial published in 1816, by a private soldier, who fought in this 
battle, and who could have had no interested motives for his pub- 
lication : — "General Harrison," he says, "received a shot through 
the rim of his hat. In the heat of the action his voice was fre- 
quently heard, and easily distinguished, giving his orders in the 
same calm, cool, and collected manner, with which we had been 
used to receive them on drill or parade. The confidence of the 
troops in the General was unlimited." The same writer, in speak- 
ino- of Harrison's kindness to the soldiers, and his influence over 
them, remarks : — "He appeared not disposed to detain any man 
against his inclination, being endowed by nature with a heart as 
humane as brave ; in his frequent addresses to the militia, his elo- 
quence was formed to persuade ; appeals were made to reason as 
well as feeling, and never were they made in vain." 

An incident that occurred at this time, is worth recording. 
The night before the battle, a negro man belonging to the camp 
who had been missing, was arrested near the Governor's mar- 
quee, under very suspicious circumstances. He was tried by a 
court-martial for desertion to the enemy, and for an attempt to 
assassinate the Governor. Sufficient evidence was found to con- 
vict him, and he was sentenced to death; yet such were the hu- 
mane feelings of Harrison, that he could not induce himself to 
sio-n the order for his execution. As the criminal attempt had 
been made against his own life, he felt himself privileged to ex- 
ercise his benevolence towards the offender, and the misguided 
wretch was suffered to escape the just punishment of his crime. 
It would have been more in accordance with the principles of 
strict justice, to have allowed the law to take its own course in 
this instance — but the circumstances of the case were very pe- 
culiar, and Governor Harrison's conduct evinced a magnanimity 
and humanity of heart rarely equalled. 

Tiie importance of the victory at Tippecanoe, cannot be too 
highly estimated. • It quelled the haughty spirit of the discon- 
tented and hostile Indians, and defeated the plan which they had 
almost matured, of attacking and destroying our scattered bor- 
der settlements in detail. Had we lost this battle, our army must 
have been annihilated — the whole extent of our defenceless fron- 
tier would have been left to the mercy of sanguinary and un- 
sparing savages, and the consequent loss of life, and destruction 
of property would have been almost incalculable. 



15 

The President, in his message to Congress, dated December 
18th, 1812, makes the following honorable mention of this bat- 
tle :— " While it is deeply to be lamented," says Mr. Madison, 
"that so many valuable lives have been lost in the action which 
took place on the 9th ult.. Congress will see, with satisfoction, 
the dauntless spirit and fortitude victoriously displayed by every 
description of troops engaged, as well as the collected firmness 
which distinguished their commander, on an occasion requiring 
the utmost exertion of valor and discipline." 

The Legislature of Kentucky, at their ensuing session, ex- 
pressed their high sense of Governor Harrison's good conduct 
on this occasion, by the following complimentary resolution : 

"Resolved, That in the late campaign against the Indians, on 
the Wabash, Governor W. H. Harrison has, in the opinion of 
this legislature, behaved like a hero, a patriot, and a general; 
and that for his cool, deliberate, skilful and gallant conduct, in 
the late battle of Tippecanoe, he deserves the warmest thanks of 
the nation." 

This hiffh encomium came from those whose friends and 
neighbors had participated in the late campaign, and who were 
consequently familiar with its details, and with the merits of the 
commander. 

War was declared against Great Britain in June, 1812. Prior 
to this event, British agents had, for a long time, been tampering 
with the discontented Indians within our territory, and had bri- 
bed them with presents, and furnished them with fire-arms, to 
induce them to renew their hostilities against our country. The 
cratty and daring Tecumthe, too, was once more in the field. 
Urged on by his savage eloquence, by their own native love for 
war and plunder, and by the atrocious intrigues of foreign agents, 
the north-western Indians again raised tiie war-whoop, and com- 
menced their barbarous system of warfare. Their cruel mur- 
ders and depredations became of frequent occurrence, and the 
wailings of bereaved mothers and orphans, and the bitter com- 
plaints of those who had escaped from the conflagration of their 
plundered homes, excited the commisseration of our hardy bor- 
derers, and roused a general feeling of indignation. Such was 
the state of excitement in our frontier settlements in the summer 
of 1812. 



16 

Immediately after the declaration of war, our western govern- 
ors promptly adopted every measure in their power, for the de- 
fence of their respective states and territories. But conscious of 
the great abilities and experience of Harrison, they placed the 
utmost reliance on his counsels, and looked to him as the leader, 
under whom they might hope for success against the common 
enemy. He aided Governor Edwards in placing the frontier of 
Illinois in a posture of defence, and soon after, was invited by 
Governor Scott, of Kentucky, to a conference in relation to the 
Kentucky troops, which had been raised for the defence of the 
frontier. He accepted this invitation, and met Governor Scott 
at Frankfort; where he was received with the acclamations of 
the people, and with the highest civil and military honors. 
These public marks of the high estimation in which Harrison 
was held by the people, were shortly after followed by proofs 
still more fiatterino, of their confidence in his patriotism, his 
abilities, and his military skill. 

Governor Scott had levied an armed force of more than five 
thousand militia and volunteers, commanded by some of the 
ablest men and most experienced officers in the state. Two 
thousand of these troops were ordered for immediate service; and 
they had no sooner learned that tliey were destined to march to 
the aid of their fellow countrymen on the frontier, than they at 
once unanimously expressed the most earnest desire, to be pla- 
ced under the command of Governor Harrison. This desire 
was responded to by the wishes of the people throughout the 
state. The laws of Kentucky, however, would not permit any 
other than a citizen, to hold a command in the state militia. In 
this dilemma. Governor Scott consulted with the venerable Shel- 
by, (the governor elect,) the Hon. Henry Clay, and other distin- 
guished citizens of the state; and by their unanimous advice he 
gave Harrison a brevet commission of major general in the Ken- 
tucky militia, with express authority to take command of the 
gallant troops, about to march to the frontier. This was a bold 
and unprecedented measure, but one that gave unbounded satis- 
faction to both soldiers and citizens, and one fully warranted by 
the peculiar exigencies of the case. These facts speak volumes 
in favor of the remarkable popularity, which Governor Harrison 



17 

enjoyed in a population of brave and chivalric people, boasting an 
unusual proportion of talented and distinguished men. 

About this time, the cowardice and imbecility of General Hull, 
tamely surrendered to the British the important post of Detroit, 
with the gallant force which composed its garrison. This event 
spread consternation, far and wide, through the western country, 
and greatly increased the difficulty and arduous nature of Gov- 
ernor Harrison's duties. He immediately organized the brave 
troops under his command, and commenced a course of rigid 
discipline and military training; with the confident hope of re- 
trieving the disasters consequent upon the cowardly surrender of 
Detroit. 

Soon after, he was appointed a brigadier-general in the service 
of the United States. But, as the chief command of the western 
army was conferred on General Winchester, Harrison declined 
accepting the commission tendered him, and gave up his com- 
mand, to return to Indiana and resume the duties of his territorial 
government. 

General Winchester, who had thus superseded Governor Har- 
rison, was an old revolutionary soldier, and a brave and merito- 
rious officer ; but one who was not, like Harrison, possessed of 
the enthusiastic confidence of the army. Governor Harrison ex- 
erted every effort in his power to reconcile the troops to this 
change. But soon after he left them, their displeasure at having 
been deprived of their favorite commander, was not confined to 
murmurs, but created disaffection, and almost mutiny. 

No sooner was the President made aware of the condition of 
the army, and of the almost unanimous wishes of the western 
people, than he immediately appointed Harrison, in place of 
Winchester, commander-in-chief of the north-western army. — 
The despatch conveying this appointment, overtook him on his 
way to Indiana, and he returned without delay to the army, and 
was reinstated in his command. 

The powers conferred on Harrison, as commander-in-chief of 
the north-western army, were of great extent, and he was left to 
exercise them according to his own unrestricted judgment. In 
the despatch containing this appointment, dated September ITth, 
1812, the Secretary of War says :— "You will command such 
means as may be practicable —exercise your own discretion, and 
3 



act in all cases according to your own judgment" — tJins co"r>- 
ferring upon him extraordinary and almost unlimited powersv 
We refer to this, merely that we may here notice the remarkable 
fact, that though vested with unusual powers. General Harrison 
was never known, during the whole of his command, to exer- 
cise his authority in an unjust or oppressive manner. His mea- 
sures were energetic, but always qualified by his characteristic 
moderation and humanity, and by a regard for the feelings of 
even the meanest soldier in his camp. 

The duties that devolved on General Harrison, in his new sta- 
tion, were arduous beyond description. The troops under his 
command, though brave, were mostly inexperienced and undis- 
ciplined recruits j and the army was badly equipped, and nearly 
destitute of baggage and military stores. With these limited 
means, and under these unfavorable circumstances, he was requi- 
red to defend an immense extent of frontier, stretchinsf alona: the 
shores of the great northern lakes, whose numerous harbors and 
rivers were easy of access to the enemy. In addition to this, the 
roads leading to those points which most required defence, were 
nearly impassable, and lay, for hundreds of miles, through a wil- 
derness swarming with hostile Indians^ and through gloomy 
and dangerous swamps, where the troops, though little encum- 
bered with baggage, could advance but slowly, and with great 
fatigue. Under all these difficulties, the spirits of the soldiers 
were sustained by the presence and example of their favorite 
commander — who animated them in their fatigues, and cheerfully 
endured the same hardships and privations which they encoun- 
tered. 

The autumn and early part of the winter were spent in active 
and laborious preparations for the approaching summer campaign 
— roads were cut, depots formed, forts built, and a few expeditions 
were sent out to protect our outposts, and keep the enemy in 
check. One of these expeditions, consisting of a detachment of 
six hundred men, under Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, was sent 
by General Harrison against a fortified Indian village, from which 
our troops had suffered much annoyance. This enterprise was 
conducted witli great skill and success. The village was attacked 
m the most gallant manner, and after a desperate action of more 
than an hour, was carried at the point of the bayonet. From the 



19 

general order issued by Harrison, on the return o^ this expedition, 
we malie the following extract, which will convey some idea of 
the humane and generous feelings, that have always characterized 
both his public and private conduct. After awarding these gal- 
lant troops the high meed of praise which their bravery had won, 
he goes on to say, — "But the character of this gallant detach- 
ment, exhibiting as it did, perseverence, fortitude and bravery, 
would, however, be incomplete, if, in the midst of victory they 
had forgotton the feelings of humanity. It is with the sincerest 
pleasure that the General has heard, that the most punctual obe- 
dience was paid to his orders, in not only saving all the women 
and children, but in sparing all the warriors who ceased to resist • 
and that even when vigorously attacked by the enemy, the claims 
of mercy prevailed over every sense of their own danger, and 
this heroic band respected the lives of their prisoners. Let an 
account of murdered innocence be opened in the records of hea- 
ven against our enemies alone. The American soldier will fol. 
low the example of his government ; and the sword of the one 
will not be raised against the fallen and helpless, nor the gold of 
the other be paid for the scalps of a massacred enemy." What a 
contrast do these noble sentiments present to the atrocious con- 
duct of the British General, Proctor — who, at the cruel massacre 
at Raisin River, and elsewhere, basely permitted unresistino- pri- 
soners of war to be butchered, by his savage allies, in cold blood. 

Late in the season the army went into winter quarters at their 
stongly fortified position on the banks of the Miami, near the 
rapids, which was called Camp Meigs, in honor of the patriotic 
governor of Ohio. Leaving the army at the station, General Har- 
rison proceeded lo Cincinnati, to procure reinforcements of men, 
and supplies of provisions and military stores, for the approach- 
ing campaign. But early in the spring, intelligence was received 
that the British were making extensive preparations, and concen- 
trating a large force of regular soldiers, Canadians, and Indians, 
to beseige Fort Meigs. On obtaining this information, General 
Harrison hastened to his camp, and exerted the most strenuous 
efforts, to prepare for this threatened attack of the enemy. His 
presence cheered the troops, and he inspired them vv^ith fresh 
ardor, on the approach of the enemy, by an eloquent address, in 
which he alluded modestly, but in the most animated mc^nner, to 



20 

the neighboring battle-field, where General Wayne had gained 
the brilliant victory of the Miami, and where he himself had 
won the brightest of his early laurels. 

On the 28th of April, 1813, the scouts brought in intelligence 
of the arrival of the enemy. On the same day, a strong force of 
British and Indians ascended the river in boats, and disembarked, 
pardy on the south-eastern shore; and partly on the opposite side 
of the river. Here they immediately commenced the construc- 
tion of three powerful batteries. Corresponding traverses! were 
made within the Fort, and every approach of the enemy was met 
and foiled, with consummate skill and bravery. 

On the first of May, the batteries of the enemy being completed, 
they opened a heavy cannonading, which was returned with 
equal vigor from the Fort. This cannonading was continued 
without intermission for five days; but owing to the skilful dispo- 
sitions of General Harrison, it was attended with very little loss 
on our side. 

On the fifth of May, a gallant reinforcement of Kentuckians, 
under General Clay, fought their way to the camp; and Harrison, 
availing himself of this fortunate occurrence, promptly ordered 
a sortie to be made from the Fort to destroy the batteries of the 
enemy. The detachment ordered to this service, consisted of 
three hundred and fifty men, a part of whom were regulars, and 
the remainder volunteers and Kentucky militia, under the com- 
mand of Colonel Miller, of the United States army. These 
brave troops attacked a body of British regulars and Indians 
of more than double their number; but the impetuosity of their 
charge was irresistable, and after a severe struggle, they drove 
the enemy from the batteries. They spiked the cannon, took a 
large number of prisoners, and having fully accomplished their 
object, returned in triumph to the Fort. This sortie was one of 
the most sanguinary and desperate actions fought during the 
whole war — and its brilliant success was richly merited, by the 
intrepid gallantry of the brave troops engaged in it. 

Another attack had, in the mean time, been made upon the 
British batteries on the opposite side of the river. The enemy 
were taken by surprise, and their batteries carried with great ease, 
but the result proved'unfortunate. The detachment ordered to 



21 

tliis service had received instructions from General Harrison, to 
return to the Fort as soon as they had accomphshed the object 
of the enterprise — but unhappily, the new and inexperienced, 
though' brave' troops, that composed this detachment, instead 
of obeying their orders, imprudently lingered till they were en- 
tirely surrounded by the enemy ; and many of them were cut to 
pieces, without the possibility of lending them any aid from the 
Fort. Had the commands of their general been obeyed, this mis- 
fortune could not have occurred, and the day would have been 
one of unclouded success and triumph. 

Thwarted by the skilful dispositions of Harrison, and by the 
battle, or rather succession of battles, fought on the fifth, Proctor 
was compelled to abandon the siege of Fort Meigs — and on the 
eighth of May, he broke up his camp, and retreated in disappoint- 
ment and disjrrace. 

Thus terminated the glorious defence of Fort Meigs. Har- 
rison, soon after, left General Clay in command of that important 
post, and, unwearied in his exertions, proceeded to more difficult 
and arduous duties, at other exposed stations. 

The unceasing efforts of the British, and the restless spirit of 
Tecumthe, allowed our troops but little time to recover from their 
severe fatigues. In less than two months after the seige of Fort 
Meigs had been abandoned, the Indians assembled a formidable 
body of more than five thousand warriors, under their most noted 
chiefs, and again threatened an attack on that fortress. On re- 
ceiving this intelligence. General Harrison, with a small body of 
regulars, hastened to Fort Meigs, by forced marches, and fortu- 
nately arrived there before the enemy. Leaving a reinforcement 
with General Clay, he returned without delay to his more active 
duties. 

During the whole of this interesting campaign, the vigilance 
and the intrepidity of General Harrison, with the bravery of his 
soldiers, enabled him to keep a far superior force of the enemy in 
check, and protect the wide extent of our exposed frontier. Our 
forts were ably defended, and our troops gallantly repelled every 
attack of the enemy, except in some few instances, where they 
were assailed by an overwhelming force. 

At about the period when the enemy invested Fort Meigs for 
the second time, they made a desperate attack on Fort Stephen- 



§2 

son, a temporary depot at Lower Sandusky, wliich was bravely 
and successfully defended by Major Cro2:han, of the regular ser- 
vice. We particularly mention this event in the campaign, as a 
noble action worthy of note, and because we wish to advert to 
the illiberal and unjust remarks, which have been made by some 
of General Harrison's political enemies, in relation to the defence 
of this fort, and the subsequent measures of the commander-in- 
chief. At the date of this attack on Fort Stephenson, the enemy 
had nearly seven thousand men in the field — two thousand of 
whom were British regulars and Canadians, and the remainder 
were warriors of the fiercest Indian tribes. The army under 
General Harrison was greatly inferior in numbers, and it became 
his duty, as a skilful commander, to withdraw his unimportant 
outposts, to avoid risking unnecessarily the loss of a single sol- 
dier, and to enable him, by concentrating his forces, to hold the 
enemy in check at least, if he should not prove strong enough to 
give him battle. Fort Stephenson was a temporary and unim- 
portant station, and so commanded by the high ground in its 
neighborhood, as to be utterly indefensible against heavy artille- 
ry — and such, from their command of the lake, the British could 
easily transport to its attack. Fully aware of this, from having 
reconnoitered the ground in person, General Harrison, on learn- 
ing that this station was about to be assailed, thought proper to 
withdraw the garrison. He accordingly despatched an order to 
Major Croghan, directing him to abandon Fort Stephenson, and 
repair, if practicable, to Head (Quarters — which were then at Sen- 
eca town, nine miles further up the river. This order was not 
received by Major Croghan until the following day — when flying 
parties of Indians had become so numerous round the Fort, that, 
as Croghan himself stated, it was too late to carry the order into 
execution, and he decided on maintaining the place. In conse- 
quence of this disobedience of orders. Colonel Wells was imme- 
diately sent, with a strong escort of cavalry, to take command of 
Fort Stephenson, and Croghan was ordered to repair forthwith 
to Head Quarters. But on his arrival there, he made such satis- 
factory explanations to the commander-in-chief, of the situation 
of the Fort, and of his own respectful intentions, that General 
Harrison at once re-instated him in his command. He returned 
to his duties the following morning, and on the same day, .July 



23 

31st, this station was invested by a force of thirteen hundred Brit- 
ish regulars and Indians, They attacked tlie Fort witli great 
vigor, and repeatedly attempted to take it by assault — bat they 
were each time defeated, and were at length forced to abandon 
their attempt, and retreat in confusion, having lost, in killed and 
wounded, nearly as many as the entire number of the gallant spirits 
who defended the Fort. 

This defence of a position wliich General Harrison had order- 
ed to be abandoned, and the fact of his not having immediately 
advanced upon the enemy, were siezed upon, with avidity, by the 
ignorant and malicious among his political opponents, who in- 
dustriously circulated the falsest statements and most perverted 
misrepresentations, relative to these occurrences. But fortunately, 
the plain truth soon became so well known, that General Harri- 
son's fair fame suffered no injury from these unfounded calum- 
nies. So many gallant ofhcers, as well as honorable and high- 
minded men bore witness, of their own accord, to the military 
wisdom of his measures, that the stigma, with which his calum- 
niators had endeavored to darken his unsullied reputation, only 
rebounded, to add a still deeper stain to their own. 

We lay before our readers the following short extracts from an 
address to the public, relative to this affair, which was volunta- 
rily published by the general, field, and staff officers of General 
Harrison's army. After expressing their "regret and surprise, that 
charges as improper in form as in substance, should have been 
made against Gen. Harrison during the recent investment of Lower 
Sandusky ;" they go on to say : — "He who believes that with our 
disposable force, and under the circumstances which then occur- 
red. General Harrison ought to have advanced upon the enemy, 
must be left to correct his opinion in the school of experience, 

"On a review of the course then adopted, we are decidedly of 
the opinion, that it was such as was dictated by military wisdom, 
and by a due regard to our circumstanstances and to the situa- 
tion of the enemy. * * * * And with a ready acquiescence, be- 
yond the mere claims of military duty, we are prepared to obey 
a general, whose measures meet our most deliberate approbation, 
and merit that of his country." 

The chivalrous and noble-spirited Croghan, who was one of 
the signers of the above address, about the same time published 



24 

another paper on this subject, dated from Lower Sandusky, in 
which he says : — "I have with much regret seen in some of the 
public prints such misrepresentations respecting my refusal to 
evacuate this post, as are calculated not only to injure me in the 
estimation of military men, but also to excitejm favorable impres- 
sions as to the propriety of General Harrison's conduct relative to 
this affair. 

"His character as a military man is too well established to need 
my approbation or support. But his public service entitles him 
at least to common justice. This affair does not furnish cause of 
reproach. If public opinion has been lately misled respecting his 
late conduct, it will require but a moment's cool, dispassionate re- 
flection, to convince them of its propriety. The measures re- 
cently adojyted by him, so far from deserving censure, are the 
clearest proofs of his keen penetration, and able generalship J^ 

We have dwelt on this passage in the life of General Harrison? 
somewhat longer than is consistent with the brevity of this sketch ; 
but the political opponents of General Harrison can find so few 
points in his whole life, that afford them the slightest apology for 
censure, that they have been driven to pervert and misrepresent 
an affair of so simple a nature as this, and one that, in truth, enti- 
tled him, as the gallant Croghan justly says, to the highest com- 
mendation. We have therefore thought it no more than common 
justice to him and to our readers, to lay before them this plain ex- 
position of facts. The wisest and best actions are often misunder- 
stood or perverted by the ignorant or the malicious. We trust and 
believe that the former constitute the larger portion of those who 
have sought to shadow the fair fame of General Harrison ; but 
while mean and sordid spirits exist, envy and detraction will al- 
ways pursue exalted merit. Even Washington, the Father of our 
country, was intrigued against and calumniated. 

Disappointed in their hopes of plunder, and dispirited by the 
numerous defeats they had sustained, the savage allies of the 
British had become discontented ; the second siege of Fort Meigs 
had been abandoned, and gradually the enemy entirely withdrew 
from our territory, and concentrated their forces at Maiden, their 
principal stronghold in Upper Canada. It will thus be seen, that 
the skill with which General Harrison had conducted his defen- 
sive operations, the only resource left him in the face of a supe- 



25 

rior foe, had been eminently successful ; and had not only pro- 
tected our widely extended frontier, but had eventually forced the 
enemy to retire, mortified and humbled by defeat, from our 
country. 

The activity and enterprise of General Harrison did not long 
permit the enemy to rest, after their retreat from our territory. 
He immediately commenced preparations for carrying the war 
into their own country, aud formed his plan for the capture of 
Maiden, and the conquest of Upper Canada. 

Commodore Perry had been instructed to co-operate with Gen. 
oral Harrison, with the fleet under his command, and by a happy 
coincidence, that gallant hero gained his glorious victory on Lake 
Erie, and captured the entire squadron of the enemy, just about 
the time when General Harrison had matured his plans for the 
invasion of Canada. 

On the 27th of September, the troops embarked at Sandusky 
Bay, and advanced towards Maiden, expecting to find the British 
and Indians encamped there in full force. But upon landing on 
the Canada shore, they found that Proctor, disheartened by his 
recent defeats, had abandoned that stronghold, after having des- 
troyed the fort and navy-yard ; and had retreated with his regu- 
lars and savage allies to Sandwich. Our army encamped at Mai- 
den, and the patriotic troops could not restrain their exultation, 
on having gained possession of the fortress from which had is- 
sued, for years past, those ruthless bands of savages, which had 
swept over our extended frontier, like the wing of the destroying 
angel, leaving death and destruction only in their path. 

Our army advanced rapidly in pursuit of the enemy, and over- 
took them on the 5th of October, at a place which is destined to 
be remembered, as the battle ground of one of the most remark- 
able and decisive actions fought during the war. 

General Proctor, having had his choice of ground, occupied a 
strong position, flanked on the left by the river Thames, and on 
the right by a swamp, beyond which were posted tv,^o thousand 
Indians, under Tecumthe. But Proctor committed an irretrieva- 
ble error, in placing his regular soldiers in open order, and ex- 
tending his line by placing the files at a distance of three or four 

feet from each other. 

The American army advanced in order of battle, and when in 

4 



26 

the immediate neighborhood of the enemy, the reconnoiterkig 
parties brought in intelligence of the dispositions Proctor had 
made. Harrison, with the rapid decision of an able general, in- 
sStantly availed himself of the error of his opponent, and ordered 
Colonel Johnson to charge the enemy's line in column, with liis 
regiment of mounted Kentuckians. The extended and weakened 
line of the enemy could offer but a feeble resistance to the charge 
of these gallant troops; who dashed through their ranks with 
overwhelming impetuosity, and formed and attacked them in the 
rear. Panic struck by this bold and unexpected manoeuvre, and 
at being assailed both in front and rear, the British threw down, 
their arms in dismay, and the whole army was captured, with the 
exception of a few who escaped by an early flight with Proctor. 
The Indians attacked our troops on the left, and fought with, 
great fierceness and daring, until their renowned chief Tecumthe 
was slain, as is supposed, by Colonel Johnson, when they fied 
from the contest. 

This decisive and important battle was thus fought and won^ 
in a space of time almost incredibly short, and with a very trifling 
loss only on our side. All the baggage of the enemy, and their 
valuable military stores, together with the official papers of Proc- 
tor, fell into our hands ; and several pieces of brass cannon ^ 
which had been taken from the British in our revolutionary vic- 
tories, but which Hull had shamefiilly surrendered at Detroit, 
were ao'ain captured from our ancient foe. 

The united force of ihe British rea:ulars and Indians enraged 
in this battle, amounted to more than 2S00 — the number of our 
troops was less than 2500 — and those were principally militia and 
volunteers. The venerable Governor Shelby commanded the 
Kentucky volunteers in this battle, and General Cass, the late 
secretary of war, and the heroic Perry, acted as volunteer aids to 
General Harrison. This brilliant victory, following up the cap- 
tare of their fleet on Lake Erie by the gallant Perry, entirely des- 
troyed the force of the enemy in Upper Canada, and put an end 
to the war on our north-western frontier. 

On receiving the news of this glorious event, the thanks of 
Congress were expressed to General Harrison in the warmest 
manner. Among many others, whose grateful feelings found ut- 
terance on this occasion, the Hon. Langdon Chevcs observed, on 



27 

the floor of Concrress, that— "The victory of Harrison was such 
as would have secured to a Roman general, in the best days of the 
Republic, the honors of a triumph." A sentiment which was 
fully responded to, in the complimentaiy notices which he receiv- 
ed from every part of the Union. 

Having entirely defeated the enemy in Upper Canada, General 
Harrison advanced with a part of his army to the Niagara fron- 
tier, and thence to Sackett's Harbor, where he left the troops, and 
proceeded to the seat of government. On his way tlhther, he 
passed through New York and Philadelphia ; in which cities he 
received the most flattering marks of public honor and distinction. 
After the necessary delay of a few da^rs at Washington, General 
Harrison proceeded to Ohio, where important duties required his 
presence. 

In the plan for the ensuing campaign, to the surprise and regret 
of the public, General Harrison was designated for a service, far 
inferior to that which he had aright to expect. Regardless of the 
memorable victori£s which this gallant and experienced officer 
had won, and unmindful of the various and important services 
which he had rendered to his country, the Secretary of War saw 
fit to assign to him the command of a district where he would be 
compelled to remain inactive, while others were appointed to 
those more arduous duties, which he had heretofore fulfilled with 
so much honor to himself, and to the -nation. As if still unsat- 
isfied with this egregious insult which he had offered to General 
Harrison, the Secretary of war. on the 25th of April, 1814, ap- 
pointed a subordinate officer to a separate command within his 
district, and notified him to that elfect. On the receipt of this no- 
tification. General Harrison instantly addressed a letter to the 
Secretary, tendering his resignation, with a notification thereof 
to the President. "As soon a? Governor Shelby heard of the re. 
signation of General Harrison, he lost no time in addressing the 
President in his usual forcible terms, to prevent his acceptance of 
it ; but unfortunately for the public interests, the President was 
then on a visit to Virginia, to which place the letters from General 
Harrison and Governor Shelby were forwarded, and that of the 
latter was not received until after Secretary'" Armstrong, withont the 
jprevious consent of the President had assumed to himself the high 
prerogative of accepting the resignation. The President express 



28 

ed his great regret that the letter of Governor Shelby had not 
been received eadier, as in that case the vahiable services of 
General Harrison would have been preserved to the nation in the ' 
ensuing campaign."* 

In this resignation, General Harrison evinced the true patriot- 
ism and disinterestedness, which have always marked his conduct. 
He would cheerfully have devoted his services to his country, 
even in an appointment inferior to that which should have been 
assigned to him — but he was. too high principled to retain his 
rank, by yielding his assent to a measure, which he considered 
to be subversive of military order and discipline ; and though his 
own fortune had been shattered by the neglect of his private 
affairs, for the benefit of the public, yet he scorned to receive the 
pay and emoluments of his office, when he was no longer per- 
mitted to perform its duties actively and honorably. 

It would be difficult, at this period, to trace out tlie true mo- 
tives that induced the secretary of war to the unjustifiable course 
he pursued in this affair. But some knowledge of those events 
of the war in which he bore a part, with a little insight into human 
nature, would suggest that the leading causes which prompted 
him, were the envy and jealousy which a narrow-minded man 
would naturally feel, on contrasting his own feeble efforts and 
abortive attempts, with the consummate skill, the brilliant victo- 
ries, and the almost uniform successes of another. That he had 
acted in an arbitrary and unwarrantable manner, was afterwards 
clearly proved. — And in the investigation which took place in 
Congress in the winter of 1816-17, it became so evident that 
General Harrison had been treated with great injustice by the 
war department, that a resolution giving him a gold medal and 
the thanks of Congress, was passed, with but one dissenting 
voice in both houses of Congress. 

The leading events in the campaigns of 1812-13 — ^the gallant 
defence of Fort Meigs, and the decisive victory of the Thames, 
are lasting memorials of General Harrison's military genius. 
Yet, for these isolated actions, he deserves far less praise than for 
the skilful operations and the Fabian policy, which led to these 
and other successes. The prudent care and indefatigable exer- 
tions, by which he provided for 'his army in a wild and devasta- 

*DaAV3oh. 



■ 29 

ted country — the promptness and unwearied activity with which 
he met and defeated the scliemes of his antagonists — and the ad- 
mirable sldll with which lie held in check an enemy far superior 
in numbers, and with a small force protected an extended line of 
frontier, and guarded the lives and properties of thousands of his 
fellow citizens, betoken a genius of the highest order, with a 
vigorous mind constantly on the alert. 

Soon after his resignation, in the summer of 1814, Mr. Madi- 
son evinced his unabated confidence in the abilities and integrity 
of General Harrison, by appointing him to treat vnth the Indians, 
in conjunction with his old companions in arms, Governor Shel- 
by and General Cass. And in the following year, he was placed 
at the head of another commission, appointed to treat with 
the north-western tribes. The advantageous treaties made in 
both these cases, afforded new instances of the unfailins" sue- 
cess, that has always attended General Harrisons negotiations 
with the Indians. 

In 1816 he was elected, by a large majority, a member of the 
House of Representatives, in Congress, from Ohio. In this sta- 
tion he served, greatly to his own honor, and to the satisfaction of 
his constituents, until 1819 ; when, on the expiration of his term 
of service, he was chosen to the Senate of the State Legislature. 

In 1824, he was elected a Senator of the United States, from 
Ohio. "While serving in this high station, he commanded uni- 
versal respect. His views as a statesman were liberal and ex- 
tended, — -his remarkable readiness in debate soon rendered him a 
prominent member, — and the nervous and impassioned eloquence, 
and classical felicity of illustration with which he enforced his 
arguments, gamed liim much iniiuence. 

In 1828, he was appointed by Mr. Adams, Envoy Extraordi- 
nary, and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Colombia. 
He accepted this appointment, and repaired, without delay, to the 
scene of liis duties, where he was received with every demon- 
stration of respect. He found this unhappy country in a deplo- 
rable condition — the people ignorant of their rights, and almost 
in a state of anarchy, and Bolivar apparently about to assume the 
despotic power of a military dictator. Shocked at this state of things, 
with the frankness of an old soldier, he wrote his celebrated let- 
ter to Bolix'ar, from which, as we have not space enough for the 



30 

whole letter, we take the liberty of quoting the following ex- 
tracts — "I contend," said General Harrison, "that the strongest of 
all governments is that which is most free. We consider that of 
the United States as the strongest, precisely because it is the most 
free. It possesses the faculties, equally to protect itself from for- 
eign force or internal convulsion. In both it has been sufficiently 
tried. In no country on earth would an armed opposition to 
the laws be sooner or more effectually put down. Not so much 
from the terrors of the guillotine and the gibbet, as from the 
aroused determination of the nation, exhibiting their strength, and 
convincing the factious that their cause was hopeless. 

"In bestowing the palm of merit, the world has become wiser 
than formerly. The successful warrior is no longer regarded as 
entitled to the first place in the temple of fame. Talents of this 
kind have become too common, and too often used for mischiev- 
ous purposes, to be regarded as they once were. In this enlight- 
ened age the mere hero of the field, and the successful leader of 
armies, may, for the moment, attract attention. But it will be such 
as is bestowed on'the passing meteor, whose blaze is no longer re- 
membered, when it is no longer seen. To be esteemed eminently 
great, it is necessary to be eminently good. The qualities of the 
hero and the general must be devoted to the advantage of man- 
kind, before he will be permitted to assume the title of their bene- 
factor ; and the station which he will hold in their regard and af- 
fections will depend, not upon the number and splendor of his 
victories, but upon the results and the use he may make of the in- 
fluence he acquires from them." 

" If the fame of our Washington depended on his military 
achievements, would the common consent of the world allow 
him the pre-eminence he possesses ? The victories at Trenton, 
Monmouth and York, brilliant as they were, exhibiting, as they 
certainly did the highest grade of military talents, are scarcely 
thought of. The source of the veneration and esteem which is 
entertained for his character, by every description of politicians, 
the monarchist and aristocrat, as well as the republican, is to be 
found in his undeviating and exclusive devotedness to the inter- 
est of his country. No selfish consideration was ever suffered to 
intrude itself into his mind. For his country he conquered; 
^d the unrivalled and increasing prosperity of that country is 
constantly adding fresh glory to his name."' 



81 

We regret* that our limits will not permit us to insert the whole 
of this vigorous and beautiful production. But the few pas- 
sages we have quoted, contain a fair specimen of the noble senti- 
ments which characterize this letter, and give evidence of the 
pure republican principles which have ever distinguished this 
eminent statesman. 

General Harrison remained in Colombia but a short time^ 
Since his return from this mission, he has lived in compara- 
tive retirement, in Ohio, the state of his adoption. With the 
most enticing opportunities of accumulating wealth, during hi& 
long government of Indiana, and superintendency of Indian 
affairs, he acquired none ; his honest and scrupulous integrity- 
was proof against the golden temptations. His time and best 
enero;ies were devoted to the service of his country, and his own 
interests were ever, with him, a secondary consideration. He 
therefore retired without the spoils of office, and with only a 
competency barely sufficient for his support ; but rich in reputa- 
tion, undimmed by a single tarnish, and in the honor and respect 
of all his fellow citizens. 

General Harrison is now sixty-seven years of age ; but such 
have been the activity and temperate habits of his past life, that 
he enjoys his moral and physical energies in remarkable vigor. 
In person he is tall and thin ; his features are irregular, but his 
eyes are dark, keen, and penetrating ; his forehead is expansive ; 
his mouth peculiarly indicative of firmness and genius ; and his 
countenance is highly expressive of intelligence and benevo- 
lence. His manners are plain, frank and unassuming, and his 
disposition is cheerful, kind and generous, almost to a fault. In 
his private intercourse, he is beloved and esteemed by all who 
know him. In the various civil and military offices he has held, 
he has always been moderate and forbearing, yet firm and true to 
his trust. No other commander has ever been more popular with 
our militia, and the true secret of this cannot be better explained 
than by liis own reply, when asked how he had gained this in- 
fluence : "By treating them," said he, "with affection and kind- 
ness; by always recollecting that they were my fellow-citizens, 
whose feelings I was bound to respect; and by sharing with them, 
on every occasion, the hardships which they were obliged to un- 
dergo." 



32 

In the republican institutions of our country, birth and parent- 
age are comparatively of very little importance; and no candid- 
ate for public favor can found thereon the slightest claim to the 
respect or the support of his fellow-citizens. We have happily 
shaken off the thralling' prejudices of the old world, and a title 
to office and honorable distinction is not with us hereditary; but 
every man must earn his own good name, and his claim on the 
favor of the people, by his own good deeds. Yet, aware, as 
every one must be, of the povx^erful influence of early education, 
it is worthy of remark, as well ais. gratifying to know, that a can- 
didate for public office, in whom we feel an interest, passed all the 
early years of his life with the- brightest examples constantly 
before him; and under the parental tuition of one of those illus- 
trious patriots, whose memory is revered by every true-hearted 
American. It is pleasing to know, that his first political senti- 
ments were imbibed in a school of the purest republican princi- 
ples. And when we trace up the career of this individual, from 
the spring-time of his youth, to the summer of his manhood and 
to the early autumn of his years; and see those principles closely 
adhered to throughout, we can scarcely resist the conviction, that 
his future course will be consistent with the past; and that, with 
matured abilities, he will be still more conspicuous for his repub- 
lican principles, his moderation in office, his firm integrity, and 
his extended and enlightened views as a statesman. Such were 
the early advantages of William Henry Harrison; such has been 
his course thus far through life; and such is now the bright prom- 
ise, to a realization of which we may safely look forward, should 
the people see fit to place him in office. 

The friends of General Harrison found no claim on his milita- 
ry services. His own sentiments on this subject we have already 
quoted; and his friends would scorn, as much as he would, any 
attempt to dazzle a single one of his fellow-citizens by the glory 
of his military renown, brilliant though it be. They would point 
rather to his numerous civil services, in the forty years he has 
devoted to his countiy; to the vjirious and important offices he 
has so ably filled— in the territorial governments, in the Legisla- 
ture of his own state, and in the House of Representatives and 
Senate of the United States ; and to the high order of abilities 
displayed in his speeches in Congress, in his public acts, and in 



33 

his voluminous public correspondence. And we here take oc- 
casion to say, that all his letters and public papers have been 
exclusively written by himself; and that so far from his having 
called in the mental aid of another, to prepare his messages and 
despatches, as some of our distinguished men have condescended 
to do, he has never even employed an amanuensis, to perform 
the manual labor of his correspondence. His ruling principles 
through life, appear to have been, an ardent love for his country, 
and an earnest desire to serve her best interests; with a devotion 
to the pure republican maxims of the Revolution, always unwa- 
vering and consistent : unlike the scheming politicians of a more 
modern school, whose own interest is the polar star that guides 
them, whatever may betide their country. 

With tried patriotism, with abilities of the highest order, with 
integrity pure as the unsullied .^now, and with the truest repub- 
lican principles, William Henry Harrison is now before his fellow 
citizens, as a candidate for the highest office in their gift. In the 
long course of his public life, he has always been a staunch advo- 
cate of popular rights, and is therefore truly the candidate of the 
people. He comes before them, not with a crowd of pampered and 
still-grasping officials to intrigue and bribe for him, but with the 
noble frankness of an honorable and hisfh-minded man, willinir 
and desirous to be judged impartially by his fellow-citizens, and 
ready to abide by their honest decision. 



APPENDIX. 



GENERAL HARRISON AND ABOLITION. 

General Harrison's views on the subject of abolition 
are either misunderstood or wilfully misrepresented. — 
No man is clearer or more decided on this subject than 
General Harrison. For the South^ no man's views are 
more sound — no man is more worthy of the confidence 
of the South on this score. 

He is fully committed on the subject of abolition ; and 
as much could not be said of Van Buren before he was 
elected. 

His speech at Vincennes, Indiana, delivered before 
the last Presidential canvass, gives the lie to all these 
gross attacks that are made upon him. That speech 
ought to be perfectly satisfactory to the South. It was 
dehvered to citizens of a non-slave holding State, which 
is certainly a high evidence of General Harrison's bold- 
ness and sincerity on this subject. Had he desired to 
conceal his opinions on the subject of abolition, surely 
it would have been politic to have done so in the latitude 
of Indiana, if any where. But he concealed nothing — 
he spoke I'reely and openly, on an occasion and in a 
place, in which nothing but a conviction of the right- 
eousness of principle, and a desire to vindicate it, in jus- 
tice to the South, demanded such a speech. He lias 
left no room for even suspicion as to his position on this 
subject. 

In proof of what we say, we beg leave to call the 

ATTENTION OF THE SoUTII tO the following 



36 

EXTRACTS FROM AN ADDRESS 
Delivered hy General Harrison^ at Vincennes^ Indiana. 



I have now, fellow-citizens, a few words more to say 
on another subject, and which is, in my opinion, of more 
importance than any other that is now in the course of 
discussion in any part of the Union. I allude to the 
societies which have been formed, and the movements 
of certain individuals in some of the States in relation 
to a portion of the population in others. The conduct of 
these persons is the more dangerous, because their ob- 
ject is masked under the garb of disinterestedness and 
benevolence ; and their course vindicated by arguments 
and propositions, which, in the abstract, no one can 
deny. But, however fascinating may be the dress with 
which their schemes are presented to their fellow citi- 
zens, with whatever purity of intention they may have 
been formed and sustained, they will be found to carry 
in their train mischief to the whole Union, and horrors 
to a large portion of it, which it is probable some of the 
projectors and many of their supporters have never 
thought of; the latter, the first in a series of evils which 
are to spring from their source, are such as you have 
read of to have been perpetrated on the fair plains of 
Italy and Gaul, by the Scythian hordes of Attila and 
Alaric ; and such as most of you apprehended upon that 
memorable night, when the tomahawks and v/ar-clubs 
of the followers of Tecumthe were rattling in your sub- 
urbs. I regard not the disavowal of any such intention 
upon the part of the authors of these schemes, since 
upon the examination of the pubhcations which have 
been made, they Avill be found to contain every fact and 
every argument which would have been used, if such had 
been tlieir object. I am certain that there is not in this 
assembly one of these deluded men, and that there are 
few within the bounds of the State. If there are any, 
I would earnestly entreat them to forbear; to pause 
in their career, and deliberately consider the conse- 
(juences of their conduct, to the whole Union, to the 



37 

States more immediately interested, and to those for 
whose benefit they profess to act. That the latter will 
be the victims of the weak, injudicious, presumptuous 
and unconstitutional efforts to serve them, a thorough 
examination of the subject must convince them. The 
struggle (and struggle there must be) may commence 
with horrors such as I have described, but it will end 
with more firmly riveting the chains, or in the utter ex- 
tirpation of those whose cause they advocate. 

Am I wrong, fellow-citizens, in applying the terms 
weak, presumptuous, and unconstitutional, to the mea- 
sures of the emancipators ? A slight examination will, 
I think, show that I am not. In a vindication of the 
obiects of a convention which was lately held in one of 
the towns of Ohio, which I saw in a newspaper, it was 
said that nothing more was intended than to produce a 
state of public feeling which would lead to an amend- 
ment of the Constitution, authorizing the abolition of 
slavery in the United States. Now can an amendment 
of the Constitution be effected without the consent of 
the Southern States ? What then is the proposition to 
be submitted to them ? It is this : — "The present pro- 
visions of the Constitution secures to you the right (a 
right which you held before it was made, and which you 
had never given up,) to manage your domestic con- 
cerns in your own w£iy, but as we are convinced that 
you do not manage them properly, we want you to put 
in the hands of the General Government, in the councils 
of which we have the majority, the control over these 
matters, the efiect of which will be virtually to transfer 
the power from yours into our hands." Again, in some 
of the States, and in sections of others, the black popu- 
lation far exceeds that of the white. — Some of the 
emancipators propose an immediate abolition. What 
is the proposition then, as it regards these States, and 
parts of States, but the alternatives of amalgamation 
with the blacks, or an exchange of situations with them ? 
Is there any man of common sense who does not believe 
that the emancipated blacks, being a majority, will not 
insist upon a full participation of political rights with the 



38 

whites ; and when possessed of these, tliat they will not 
contend for a full share of social rights ! What but 
the extremity of weakness and folly could induce any 
one to think that such propositions as these could be 
listened to by a people so intelligent as those of the 
Southern States? Further — the emancipators gene- 
rally declare that it is their intention to effect their ob- 
ject (although their acts contradict the assertion,) by 
no other means than by convincing the slaveholders that 
the immediate emancipation of the slaves is called for, 
both by moral obligations and sound policy. An un- 
fledged youth, at the moment of his leaving (indeed in 
many instances before he has left it,) his Theological 
Seminary, undertakes to give lectures upon morals to 
the countrymen of Wythe, Tucker, Pendleton and 
Lowndes, and lessons of political wisdom to States, 
whose affairs have so recently been directed by Jeffer- 
son and Madison, Macon and Crawford. Is it possible 
that instances of greater vanity and presumption could 
be exhibited ? 

But the course pursued by the emancipators is un- 
constitutional. I do not say that there are words in 
the Constitution which forbid the discussions they are 
en<i-aged in ; I know that there are not. And there is 
even an article w hich secures to the citizens the right to 
express their opinions w^ithout restriction. But in the 
construction of the Constitution, it is always necessary 
to refer to the circumstances under which it was framed, 
and to ascertain its meaning by a comparison of its 
provisions with each other, and with the previous situ- 
ation of the several States who were parties to it. In a 
portion of these, slavery was recognized, and they took 
care to have the right secured to them to follow and re- 
claim such of them as were fugitives to other States. 
The laws of Congress passed under this power, have 
provided punishment to any one who shall oppose or in- 
terrupt the exercise of this right. Now, can any one 
believe that the instrument which contains a provision 
of this kind, which authorizes a master to pursue his 
slave into another State, take him back, and provides 



•X'^j 



39 

a punishment for any citizen or citizens of that State 
who should oppose him, should, at the same time, 
authorize the latter to assemble together, pass resolu- 
tioi^ and adopt addresses, not only to Encourage the 
slalis to leave their masters,' but to cut their throats be- 
fore they do so ? I insist that the citizens of the non- 
slave holding States can avail themselves of the article 
of the Constitution which jn-oliibits the restriction of 
speech or the press, to pubhsh anything injurious to the 
rights of the slave holding States, that they can go to 
the extreme that I have mentioned, and effect anything 
further which writing or speaking could effect. But, 
fellow-citizens, these are not the principles of the Con- 
stitution. Such a Constitution would defeat one of the 
great objects of its formation, which was that of secur- 
ing the peace and harmony of the States which were 
parties to it. The hberty of speech and of the press 
were given as the most effectual means to preserve to 
each and every citizen his own rights, and to the States 
the rights which appertained to them, at the time of 
their adoption. It could never have been expected that 
it would be used by the citizens of one portion of the 
States for the purpose of depriving those of another 
portion of the rights which they had reserved at the 
adoption of the Constitution, and in the exercise of 
which none but themselves have any concern or interest. 
If slavery is an evil, (and no one more readily ac- 
knowledges it than I do,) the evil is with them. If there 
is guilt in it, the guilt is theirs, not ours, since neither 
the States where it does not exist, nor the government 
of the United States, can, without usurpation of power, 
and the violation of a solemn compact, do anything to 
remove it without the consent of those who are imme- 
diately interested. With that consent there is not a 
man in the whole world who would more willingly con- 
tribute his aid to accomplish it than I would. If my 
vote could effect it, every surplus dollar in the Treasury 
should be appropriated to that object. But they will 
neither ask for aid nor consent to be aided as long as the 
illegal, persecuting, and dangerous movements are in 



40 

progress, of wliich I complain ; the interests of all con- 
cerned requires that these ghould be stopped immedi- 
ately. This can' onlj be done by *the force of public 
opinion, and mat cannot toosqon ,bef brou|ht iii|o oper- 
ation. Everv movement whi</h'is madte b^' the x^-ibli- 
tionists in the non-slaveholding States, is viewed by our 
Southern brethren as an attack upon their rights, and 
which, if persisted in, must, in the end, eradicate those 
feelings of attachment and affection between the citizens 
of all the States ^vhich was produced by a community of 
interest and dangers in the war of the Revolution, which 
was the foundation of our happy Union, and by a con- 
tinuance of which it can alone be preserved. I entreat 
you, then, fellows-citizens, to frown upon the measures 
which are to produce results so much to be deprecated. 
The opinions which I have now given, I have omitted no 
opportunity for the 'last two years to lay before the peo- 
ple of my own State. I have taken the liberty to express 
them here, knowing that even if they should unfortu- 
nately not accord with yours, thev would be kindly re- 
ceived. The truth is, tiiat the expression of them at this 
time, was occasioned by a circumstance which occurred 
on my journey hither. Within the bounds of this State, 
a manuscript was shown to me, written with the purest 
intentions, and supporting, with an eloquence seldom 
surpassed, the most erroneous and dangerous principles 
in regard to this very subject. 



f46 



# > 



.V 



. I ' ♦ 






*« . . <» f4> 



.^^ 



, ' 



'^^^^' 



V 



..*' .<* 



"C> 'o • » 






o V 



.0 



.^" 



0-0 



^<- 






,'?!. • 






• ' * °- c» 






» • • '. "^ 



,^- 



^#>^'*»To' V 



<^ 






^o 









« » ■« 



•' .0' 



'^r' .<■ 



.^\. 

^ 



'V, 












^'^' 



^^/% 

1^* 






• ■ ^^ 



^^ 



.A 



^"^ .!^' 



*•»' <^ 



.V 









^* 0^ 



'••^>^ 



*b 



.0 . 



'^ "-.%l^. 



» • • ' , '^ 



a; 















■J .4^ y<^'.r??^- ^^- 






r-^ 







